


Seasons of Love

by IronWoman359



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Crying, Fluff, M/M, Talking about breakups, patton starts sad but then he isn't
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 15:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18528280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronWoman359/pseuds/IronWoman359
Summary: In the fall, there was Roman. In the winter, Logan. In the spring came Patton. Now, Virgil is alone, which he thinks is for the best. Patton, meanwhile, is trying to understand what went wrong in their relationship when he comes across some unexpected faces.





	Seasons of Love

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Three Seasons, Three Guys](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11734887) by [JustGalactic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustGalactic/pseuds/JustGalactic). 



> This is a sequel to @romanismyprince‘s fic Summer Romances are Bullshit on tumblr. That fic was also inspired by a fic on this site called Three Seasons, Three Guys by Justgalatic. Both are incredible and you should go read them right now. While Three Seasons, Three Guys is linked here as inspiration, there are some differences between it and Summer Romances are Bullshit that make this not work as a direct sequel to Three Seasons, Three Guys the way it's a direct sequel to @romanismyprince's story.

Patton should have been happy. He was sitting in a picture perfect outdoor café with a mouthwatering french pastry and perfect cup of coffee in front of him, the sunshine warm against his skin. All around him, the sounds and smells of the city filled the air, twisting together in a beautiful harmony that promised magic for the daring soul who dared to reach out and take it.

Summer in Paris, it was more beautiful than Patton could have imagined.

And yet, as he sat staring off into the distance, his food untouched before him, all he could think about was Virgil. Virgil, who would have looked beautiful under the Parisian sun, his purple hair catching the light just so. Virgil, who would have loved the chocolate treats lining the patisserie’s windows (despite the edgy image he tried to maintain, Patton knew the man had an incurable sweet tooth). Virgil, who Patton had wanted to invite along on this trip of a lifetime.

Virgil, who had left. 

 

Patton hadn’t understood why. Things had been going great, or so he thought. It had only been a few months of dating, but Patton was happier than he’d ever been. Virgil was stunning, in every possible way, and Patton was completely enamored with him. Though Virgil himself didn’t seem to understand how incredible he was. Patton had made it his mission to show him.

He must have failed though, because Virgil had pushed him away, a pain in his eyes that he wouldn’t name as he insisted that this was for the best, no matter how much Patton pleaded with him to stay.

“ _Please, Virgil! Was it something I did wrong?_ ” he remembers asking, tears rolling down his cheeks. 

 _“No, Pat,_ ” Virgil had said, his tone deadpan, resigned. “ _You were perfect. And that’s the problem.”_

Then he’d left, leaving Patton to pick up the broken pieces of his heart alone.

“Excusez-moi monsieur?” a voice broke through Patton’s thoughts, and he looked up to see a rather attractive man wearing a tie and glasses looking at him with a concerned expression on his face. “Est-ce que tu vas bien?“ the man continued, and Patton winced. 

“Um...Je ne....parle pas français...bien,” he stammered out apologetically. He gestured to himself, then said, “Je viens...America.” 

“Oh, I see,” the man said, switching flawlessly to english. “While what you actually just said is “ _I am coming America_ ,” I understand your intent. I also am an American.  What I had said was _‘Excuse me, sir, are you alright?’_ ” 

“Oh...” Patton smiled. “Well thanks for asking, kiddo, but I’m doing just fine!” 

“Are you sure?” the man asked, raising an eyebrow at Patton. “You were crying.” 

Patton put a hand to his face, startled to find tears beneath his fingertips. He blushed.

“Oh...I’m sorry.”

“There is no need to apologize for one’s emotions,” the man said kindly. “May I...join you?” 

Patton shrugged and nodded, and the man pulled a chair up and sat down.

“Do you...wish to talk about what is troubling you?” the man asked, and Patton sighed. 

“You...you’ll think I’m silly,” Patton said with a shaky laugh. “It’s just...my boyfriend broke up with me...just a couple of weeks ago...and I just really miss him.” Patton sniffled, and the man nodded sympathetically. 

“I do not think that’s silly at all,” he said quietly. “I had to leave behind my own boyfriend when I moved here to study...I have missed him greatly, so I believe I understand how you feel.” 

Patton shot the stranger a grateful smile, but found tears pooling in his eyes again as his thoughts once again fell on Virgil.

“I...I wanted him to come with me,” he admitted quietly, embarrassed at the crack in his voice, but the other man simply laid a hand over his, gently encouraging him to continue. “On this trip. I had it all planned out, the tickets bought and everything. I was going to surprise him after a date to the park...a picnic at the place we met.” He sniffled, and wiped a few tears away. “But he broke up with me before I could even ask.” 

“I’m sorry,” the man murmured, stroking his thumb over the back of Patton’s hand. “That must have hurt terribly.” 

Patton could only nod.

“If...if it’s not to bold of me to ask...why did he leave you?” The man winced, then quickly added, “of course, it’s none of my business, you don’t have to tell me if it’s too personal-” 

“No, it’s alright,” Patton reassured him, offering a small smile. “I...I don’t know why, actually. That...I think is part of why it hurts so much. I asked him if it was...” Patton took a shaky breath. “If it was something I did, but all Virgil would say is that I had been perfect.” 

Tears pooled in his eyes again, and he screwed his eyes shut. 

“If I was perfect, then why did he  _leave?”_

The man froze, and Patton cursed himself inwardly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overshare, I just–” 

“Virgil?” the man repeated, as though he hadn’t heard Patton. 

“I...yeah, Virgil. My...my ex,” Patton said, frowning at the strange look on his companion’s face. “Is something wrong?”

The man shook his head, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

“I am simply...surprised. Virgil is not that common of a first name in the english language, and yet that is also the name of  _my_  ex. The odds of us  _both_ having an ex with that name are extremely slim, and yet here we are. It is quite remarkable...are you alright?” 

It was Patton’s turn to stare now, as he took in the man,  _really_  took him in. The analytical yet gentle nature, the cool demeanor, the fact that he had left his boyfriend in order to study abroad...

“What...what did you say your name was?” Patton asked. 

“I...it’s Logan. Logan Abbot.” Logan gave Patton a quizzical look.

“So...the odds of us both having an ex with the same first name are pretty slim?” Patton asked, and Logan nodded. “Okay...so what would the odds be that we have an ex with the same  _last_ name too?”

Logan stared.

“Are you saying–”

“Your ex isn’t Virgil  _Shae_  by any chance, is he?” Patton asked. 

“I...how did you...”

“You’re Logan,” Patton said, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re Logan, you’re the guy Virgil dated last winter who got to study abroad in France for your masters program.”

“He...he told you about me?” Logan’s voice was small, surprised, and Patton nodded.

“We got a little tipsy one night and started talking about exes. I told him about my old boyfriend Dylan, and he told me about you...he said that he hated that you had to leave but that he was so proud of you.”

“I wanted to try long distance,” Logan said quietly. “But he insisted that it would distract me, and that he couldn’t stand the idea of holding me back.” 

“That’s Virgil, alright,” Patton said, a fond smile slipping onto his face. “He said the same thing about Roman.” 

Logan’s eyes widened.

“Roman?” he repeated, leaning forward. 

“Yeah, before he dated you, Virgil told me he dated an actor named Roman Crown. Said he was wonderful, but he got a role in a movie overseas and had to leave...what are you looking at me like that for?” 

Logan let out a strange laugh, reaching up and rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses.

“I knew Virgil had dated an actor, but I didn’t realize...I had no  _idea_...”

“What?” Patton pressed, and Logan leaned back in his chair. 

“Roman Crown’s movie was filmed  _here_ , in Paris. Our paths crossed at an english poetry reading near my university...he performed a stunning reading of  poem he’d written called “My Fallen Angel,” and afterwards I complimented him on his work.”

Realization sparked in Logan’s eyes, and he groaned.

"Oh my god, that poem was about  _Virgil,_  wasn’t it? He even said, it was about someone he’d had to leave behind but still loved dearly...I assumed an ex, of course, but I never thought...”

Logan coughed, and suddenly his expression turned sheepish.

“We became friends after that night, although recently...I believe he has been dropping hints that he would like to be something more...in fact, I was supposed to meet him here today for coffee.” he shook his head, staring at Patton in bewilderment. “And then I meet  _you_ here as well. Amazing.”

"You can say that again,” said a new voice.

Patton looked up and locked eyes with a tall, handsome man wearing a white jacket over a red shirt. 

“Roman!” Logan exclaimed, his face turning a rather adorable shade of pink, and Patton had a sudden, inescapable thought flood his mind. 

_Oh my god, I’m so gay._

He didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on that though, because Roman was still talking. 

“So, I’m not one to eavesdrop normally, but I was coming over to find you, Lo, and see who your friend here was, and I didn’t catch everything, but I definitely heard the name  _Virgil_.” He looked back and forth between the two men, a question in his eyes. “Mind explaining what’s going on?” 

So, they told him. 

Patton introduced himself and took turns with Logan explaining that they both had dated Virgil, the same Virgil that Roman himself had dated all those months ago. 

“So wait, the poems that I wrote, the ones you said were what initially drew you to me...” Roman started, staring at Logan in disbelief. 

“Yes, it would seem that you were writing about a man that we both had loved before,” Logan said simply. 

“I...I might  _still_  love him,” Roman said quietly. “I...don’t think I ever  _stopped_  loving him, not really. When I was offered this role...Virgil was the one who told me to take it. I was hesitant, because it meant moving away from everything I knew, away from  _him,_  but he knew this was my dream, and he insisted I pursue it.” 

“I...must confess, I feel the same,” Logan murmured. “He was incredibly supportive of my decision to come here for my studies...so much so that he declined my offers of attempting to continue our relationship long distance. He said something to the effect of  _‘I don’t want to be the reason you don’t succeed.’_ ”

“He...said that to me, too,” Roman added. “He said  _‘I won’t be the reason you don’t make it big, Princey. You’re taking the role.’_ ” 

“Oh...” Patton whispered, and Roman and Logan turned to him. “I think I understand now.” 

“What do you mean, Patton?” Logan asked, and Patton took a shaky breath. 

“I didn’t understand before why Virgil left me...when I asked him if I’d done something wrong all he said was ‘ _You were perfect. And that’s the problem.'_ I didn’t understand that before, but I do now.” Patton looked up at the others, a sad smile on his face. “Virgil loved you.  _Both_  of you. So much so that he was willing to give you up when he thought that was what was best. He didn’t want to hold you back...” 

Roman made a soft ‘oh’ sound as Logan’s eyes widened in comprehension.

“He left me because he thought he held me back,” Patton finished, tears welling up in his eyes again. “He didn’t though, he  _didn’t._  I loved him.” He squeezed his eyes shut against the tears, and vaguely he registered Logan taking his hand again, Roman murmuring gentle words of reassurance in his ear as he rubbed his back, but none of that seemed to matter right then. 

“I  _love_ him,” he whispered again, and Logan’s grip tightened. 

“We know, Patton,” Roman said, his voice soft and comforting. “We know.”

\--- --- ---

Virgil hadn’t left his apartment in a long time. His groceries were delivery, he could work on commissions from his living room, and there were no friends who would miss him if he shut himself away, so what was the point of doing anything else? 

It was summer, after all, the season that he despised the most. The air was hot and sticky, and wherever he looked was another giggly, smiling couple, another reminder of how alone he was. Virgil couldn’t wait for the cooler air and colorful leaves that fall would bring...though the new memories that would come with it, those he could do without. 

Virgil sighed, and put his head in his hands, his drawing tablet forgotten on the table next to him. Did he have to go and ruin  _every_  season by being a stupid sap and falling in love? He couldn’t think of bonfires now without hearing Roman singing along to a Disney film, couldn’t picture snowfall without the taste of chocolate, coffee, and the smell of paper and ink that followed Logan wherever he went, couldn’t imagine new flowers in bloom without seeing the twinkle in Patton’s eye or the bubbles popping at the top of his champagne glass. 

All that was left to him was summer, stupid, sweaty, overhyped  _summer._  He supposed it was what he deserved, for letting himself fall so easily. 

Well. 

It wasn’t a mistake he would be making again, that was for sure. 

Virgil picked up his stylus again and tried to focus on his work, but he was finding it difficult to concentrate. After about forty-five minutes of not getting anywhere, he decided to call it quits. Maybe inspiration would come back to him later. He’d just deposited himself on the couch and turned on the TV when a knock sounded through his apartment.

Virgil gave the offending front door a skeptical look. 

Nobody ever came to visit him, not anymore, so who would be knocking at his door? He really didn’t want to deal with someone trying to sell him health insurance or something right now. But when a soft, gentle, oh so achingly familiar voice called out  _“Virgil? Are you in there, kiddo?”_  he knew it wasn’t just a salesman. 

He thought about not answering, he really did, but then Patton called out again,  _“Virgil, please?”_  and he found himself walking over to the door despite his better judgement. He’d never quite been able to resist Patton. 

But opening the door and seeing the two men on either side of Patton, he realized that Patton wasn’t the only thing he had to worry about. 

"R-ro?” he asked, taking a step back in surprise. “Logan?”

“Hey, Emo Knightmare,” Roman said quietly, and Virgil winced at the old pet name. 

“Wh- what are you guys doing here?” Virgil asked, his eyes flitting back and forth between his three ex-boyfriends.

“Virgil, I believe the four of us need to talk,” Logan said. “May we come in?” 

“I, I...” Virgil’s heart was beating faster now, and he was finding it difficult to catch his breath. What on earth would make all  _three_  of them come to see him? How did they even know each other!? 

“Virgil, you’re not in trouble,” Patton soothed, reaching towards him but stopping just shy of touching him. “All we want is for you to hear what we have to say. After that, you can kick us out if you want, but first...please just listen to us?”  

Virgil looked into Patton’s wide, pleading eyes, then stole a glance at Roman’s hopeful face and Logan’s hands fidgeting with his tie. 

“Okay,” he said, doing his best to sound nonchalant. From the raise of Logan’s eyebrow and the quirk of Roman’s lips, he knew he hadn’t succeeded, but he tried not to focus on those little looks, on how  _familiar_  they were as he let the three of them in and closed the door behind him. 

“So...” he shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets and looked over at them, careful not to make eye contact with anyone. “What’s going on?”

“Virgil,” Logan began, taking a deep breath. “The three of us are here today because, as you know, each of us have dated you for part of this past year.” 

“Think he knows that, Specs,” Roman muttered, and Patton swatted at Roman’s arm, making a shushing sound. Virgil arched an eyebrow at the easy familiarity between the three of them, but kept silent as Logan rolled his eyes at Roman before continuing. 

“While each of us only dated you for a short period of time when compared to the lifespan of an adult, we all deeply treasure the time that we spent with you, and were very sorry to see it end.” 

“Not only that,” Roman picked up where Logan left off, his eyes glowing with affection, “but we’ve  _really_  missed you, Virgil. Being in the movie was an absolutely incredible experience, and I’m so glad I was able to do it, but... _God,_  Virgil, I missed you every  _day_. I thought about trying to contact you sometimes, but...I never could quite muster up the courage to do it.” 

Virgil blinked in surprise at the thought of Roman not having the courage to do something, but before he had time to dwell on that thought, Logan was speaking again. 

“Similarly, I found myself unable to keep my thoughts off of you while pursuing my studies. I wondered many times if I had made the right choice in leaving you, in not pushing harder for a long distance relationship. I too considered contacting you many times to attempt to regain some of what we’d lost, but since it was at your insistence that we broke things off cleanly, I did not wish to do anything to make you unhappy.” 

Virgil stared at Logan, shocked by the confession. He’d always assumed that Logan was offering to go long distance out of courtesy, and he hadn’t wanted to make things hard on Logan by putting him through that, so he’d said they should end things altogether. 

“I...” he started, but before he could summon anymore words, Patton was speaking. 

“When...when you left me, Virgil, I didn’t understand.” His voice was small, layered with hurt, and Virgil cursed himself internally for being the one to cause that hurt. But this was why he’d had to leave, wasn’t it? So that Patton wouldn’t be hurt even  _worse_  because of him...

“But then, I went to Paris,” Patton continued, and confusion replaced the guilt in Virgil’s mind. “I...had wanted you to come, actually. Had the tickets and everything. But you broke it off, and...well, I thought maybe if I still took the trip, I’d be able to clear my head a bit.” Patton smiled at Roman and Logan, and there was a tender look in his eyes that Virgil realized with a start that he recognized as fondness.

“Turns out, I was right.” 

“The three of us met there,” Logan continued, and Virgil’s eyes grew wide. “In fact, Roman and I met several months ago, not long after I moved to Paris. But the two of us met Patton in a café, and got to talking. We quickly realized that the three of us had one very big thing in common.” Logan gave Virgil a pointed look, and Virgil grimaced. 

“Sorry,” he muttered, since he wasn’t sure what else to say. 

“Oh, no honey...” Patton murmured as Logan responded,

“On the contrary, I am exceedingly grateful that the three of us met under the given circumstances.” 

“Besides the fact that Patton was in a state of heartbreak, of course,” Roman added, and Logan planted his face into his palm as Virgil winced. 

“Of course, my apologies, Patton, I didn’t mean to imply that I am glad you were in distress–”

“It’s okay, Logan,” Patton said, ever understanding, ever forgiving. “I’m glad we met like that too. Because meeting there, it helped us all to realize something.” Patton smiled over at Virgil, his eyes soft. “Do you know what that is, kiddo?” 

Virgil could only shake his head, then suddenly, Roman was at his side, taking his hand and stroking his thumb over Virgil’s knuckles.

“I realized that I still love you, mi amor,” he whispered, and Virgil barely had time to make a half choked noise of surprise before Logan was taking his other hand. 

"I also still love you, Virgil,” he said softly, and Virgil swallowed. 

Roman’s grip was hot and full of fire and soul while Logan’s was cool and grounding, and having one on either side was making his head spin and his stomach churn, but even as he tried to interpret the conflicting sensations, he found that it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. The two balanced each other somehow, and Virgil definitely didn’t hate the end result. 

But then Patton was standing right in front of him, reaching up towards Virgil’s face. He moved slowly, giving Virgil time to move or say no, but Virgil let him, and Patton’s hand cupped the side of Virgil’s face, his eyes shining with unshed tears. 

“I love you, Virgil. So,  _so_  much.” 

“P-pat...”

“Of course, it was initially a bit awkward realizing that we all felt this way about the same person,” Logan continued, then he reached over and placed a hand on Patton’s shoulder. “But we soon came to another realization.”

Roman smiled, and reached over Patton’s other shoulder to cover Logan’s hand, bringing the four of them together in a strange sort of mix between an embrace and holding hands. 

“Logan and I were already developing feelings for each other in France, and after spending the rest of Patton’s vacation with him...well, it was hard not to fall for the little puffball as well.” 

“So what we came to ask you is...” Patton paused, glancing between Roman and Logan briefly who each nodded at him before all three of them turned their attention back to Virgil. “...Would you like to try again? With all three of us?”

Virgil was stunned, but as he looked at the three of them that shock gave way to something else. He imagined reading poetry by the light of a bonfire, drinking champagne while snow fell outside, singing Disney princess songs in the park while flowers bloomed. He saw the way Logan looked into Patton’s eyes, the way Patton leaned into Roman’s touch, the way Roman squeezed Logan’s hand. The three of them fit so well together, and then there was him, the one on the outside, the one who always ruined everything. 

“It’s okay if you say no,” Logan interrupted his thoughts, nerves clear in his voice. “We respect that it is your decision. However, it would be very–” 

“You...you’re sure you want me?” Virgil asked, his voice small and thin but oh so hopeful. 

“Oh,  _Virgil_ ,” Patton whispered, the tears falling from his eyes. 

“Of course we want you,” Logan murmured to Virgil’s right, squeezing his hand. 

“More than  _anything_ ,” Patton added, and Roman nodded from Virgil’s other side. 

“That is...if you’ll have us, mi amor?”

Virgil looked around at the three men he’d fallen in love with, who he  _knew_ he’d never really stopped loving at all, and felt something in his heart swell. 

“Yeah...” he whispered, and he smiled at the way that Patton’s face lit up. “I’d...really like that.”

Patton surged forward and pressed their lips together, and Virgil let go of Roman and Logan’s hands to cup Patton’s face. It had only been a few weeks, but  _god_ he’d missed the taste of Patton’s lips, like birthday cake and honey and the promise of home. 

The kiss was over far too soon for his liking, but as soon as Patton pulled away, Logan was in his place, leaning forward, and Virgil let himself fall into the familiar rhythm of kissing him. Logan still smelled like paper and ink and his breath tasted like coffee and cool peppermint, and Virgil could almost imagine frost on the window panes. 

Then, Logan was stepping back, and Virgil was face to face with Roman, the first one he’d fallen for, the one he’d never stopped missing, no matter how much he had adored the others as well. Roman looked almost shy, and this time it was Virgil who made the first move, reaching forward and pulling Roman to him. Roman was wearing his vanilla chapstick, and as his strong arms snaked around Virgil’s waist, Virgil felt like he could cry. When Roman drew away, Virgil whined and pulled him close again, this time burying his face in Roman’s chest and wrapping his arms around his middle. 

Two more sets of arms encircled the pair, and  _this,_  right here, the four of them intertwined together,  _this_ was absolutely perfect. 

Fall was bonfires and apple cider and Disney marathons. 

Winter was poetry books and hot chocolate and cuddling under piles of blankets. 

Spring was walks in the park and flower crowns and late night conversations that sometimes turned into debates. 

And Summer...

Summer was four different sounds of laughter, arguing over who got to hold whose hand, falling asleep under the stars in a messy tangle of limbs, and feeling unconditionally, irrevocably loved. 

Maybe Summer wasn’t so bad after all. 


End file.
